Chapter 515 Taoist Priest, I'll Take You to Kill Someone
Chapter 515 Taoist Priest, I'll Take You to Kill Someone (6k)
In the woods, beside the fire.
Zhao Duan held the gray-black branch at the end, frowned and asked the palace attendant who came running back: "What's going on?"
Tang Jinzhong was holding a bundle of dead branches in his hands:
"There is a group of soldiers in the woods chasing someone. We dare not show up and take action without your order, so we come back to report first."
Chasing in the forest? This time, not only Zhao Duan and Mo Chou, but also the priest Yuxiu who was sitting cross-legged with eyes closed in meditation opened his eyes.
The sound was getting closer, and everyone looked in the direction of the sound. They saw a shadowy figure approaching in the woods in front of them on the left side at a very fast speed.
The person running in front was slender, wearing coarse cloth clothes and a bamboo hat. One of her shoulders was injured and covered in blood. She was fleeing in panic. She was actually a young woman.
Behind the woman, there was a team of about twenty soldiers in the forest wearing soft armor, holding swords and wearing iron helmets. They had a fierce aura and were vaguely in a hunting posture. When they stepped on the ground with heavy boots, they splashed up the water that had not yet dried up from the grass and trees.
Tang Jinzhong, Song Jinxi and other followers stopped what they were doing, formed a circle, and protected Zhao Duan and others in the center. They subconsciously held the hilts of the swords at their waists and took a vigilant defensive posture.
"They are officers and soldiers from the Linfeng Military Mansion." Zhao Duan narrowed his eyes and recognized their origins from the style of their armor.
Soldiers from the Imperial Army? Why are they here?
Who is being chased?
There was clearly still some distance to go before reaching the city... Mochou was stunned, her expression showing visibly confusion.
"Sir, do you want us to help catch him?" asked Song Jinxi, who had a keen eye.
Zhao Duan suddenly turned his head, looked at Yuxiu, and said with a smile: "Can you please help, Priest?"
Yu Xiu closed her eyes again, looking as if she had nothing to do with it:
"I will not interfere in the internal fighting of the royal family."
Mo Chou was a little anxious and urged him: "Don't waste time, stop him first and ask about the situation. I don't think something is right."
Logically speaking, since they were imperial soldiers, they should have helped, but Mo Chou was able to detect something unusual.
Be prepared to control the situation first and find out the facts.
"No hurry," Zhao Duan looked at the two parties approaching from a distance, and suddenly felt itchy, so he said:
"You don't have to do anything. Let me mediate with my arrows."
He stood up and spread out his right hand. Immediately, an attendant took out an ox horn bow and handed it to him. Everyone was curious and ready to see Lord Zhao's archery skills.
Zhao Duan bent his bow and drew his arrow, his posture upright. The arrow reflected a cold light in the sunlight and locked onto the black-armored soldier who was closest to the fleeing woman and was about to catch up.
According to the "trajectory", this iron arrow will fall on the ground in front of the fierce soldier's footsteps, forcing both sides to stop.
"Whoosh-"
The bow suddenly relaxed, and an arrow left a shadow, instantly appearing in the forest with mottled shadows of trees.
The woman who was being chased was panting. She saw Zhao Duan drawing his bow and arrow in the camp in the distance. She was delighted, but the next second, her hair stood on end!
The arrow brushed past her scalp, and the hat on her head was torn in two with a "bang", and fell to both sides, and her long black hair fell down like a waterfall.
The arrow continued to fly forward with unabated momentum. With a "thump" sound, it pierced into the tree trunk, halfway buried, and its tail feathers were still vibrating!
"Ah!" Mo Chou was startled and turned to look at Zhao Duan in surprise.
She recalled the time when she sent Zhao Duan to take up his post at the Shenji Camp and the latter missed the target while shooting an arrow on the training ground.
The shot missed... The latter tried his best to maintain the posture of a martial arts master, his mouth twitched, and he threw the bow and arrow to his entourage:
"This bow got damp, so it's not accurate. Let's turn on the air conditioner."
Everyone:...
At this time, the group of soldiers were frightened and instinctively slowed down and drew their swords to defend themselves.
The woman took the opportunity to escape to the vicinity of the camp. She was finally exhausted and stumbled to the ground. Blood gushed out of her shoulder, staining her clothes red. She said weakly, “Save… me…”
Tang Jinzhong looked back at Zhao Duan, and when he saw him nod, he signaled an attendant to drag him into the encirclement.
At this time, a group of black-armored soldiers also rushed out and surrounded everyone. The two sides confronted each other. One side was dressed in armor and the other side was just dressed as an escort. The contrast in strength was obvious.
But if you look closely, you will find that the followers, who should be trembling with fear, are actually calm and composed.
However, the officers and soldiers, who should have been confident, were anxious.
"Hand her over!"
A leading officer in black armor walked out with a sword in hand. They were half covered with visors, and the eyes through the holes in their visors were sharp and cold.
It seems that if they disagree with something, they will kill and kill people.
Zhao Duan brushed off his robe and slowly sat back on the stool beside the fire, dressed like a young master from an aristocratic family, commanding:
"Who do you belong to? Do you know my identity? Didn't Sun Xiaozhun tell you not to use force against the people in your jurisdiction?"
Logically speaking, since Linfeng had become a war zone, these soldiers from the military government should have been transferred to Taicang Prefecture and should be under the jurisdiction of Taicang Prefect Sun Xiaozheng.
In the Taicang Silver Mine case, Zhao Duan was deeply impressed by the prefect who was dark, thin, and decisive in his actions.
"Who are you? Tell me your identity! We are trying to capture the rebel spies. Anyone who harbors them will be treated as a traitor!"
The black-armored officer, who had half of his face covered, asked in a muffled voice, veins bulging on the back of his hand that was holding the hilt, and he quietly exerted force.
Zhao Duan had a stern face:
"Okay, you are interrogating me now. I don't suspect you are traitors..."
"Do it!" Before he could finish his sentence, the crow's feet at the corners of the black-armored officer's eyes suddenly became dense, and he shouted in a deep voice and rushed up.
The military boots exerted force, the armor on his body creaked, and the thick and sharp long sword in his hand made a "wu" sound as he slashed towards Zhao Duan.
The other twenty or so "Linfeng Soldiers" all attacked at the same time, in unison, curled up and charged towards the followers with their swords.
If it were an ordinary follower, even if he had martial arts skills, he would not be able to hold out for a few breaths when facing the coordinated attack of the army, and would be killed or injured.
In the eyes of the black-armored officer, this young man of obviously high status seemed to be a dead man.
This is the front line of a war zone, but he is still stupid enough to travel with several beautiful women. He deserves to die.
However, Zhao Duan, who was holding a branch and stirring the fire beside the fire, just lowered his eyes and fixed his gaze on the pot of bubbling hot water on the stone stove. He whispered, "Leave him alive."
"As ordered!"
The next second, the harmless "entourage" showed their fangs. Tang Jinzhong grinned grimly, took a big step without any weapon, and punched the nearest fierce soldier.
The ferocious soldier's body softened like mud and he suddenly lost all his strength. His back arched and his inner armor inlaid with metal plates was torn like tofu. Blood seeped out of his skin and left a fist mark. He flew backwards into the forest like a sack and died.
Song Jinxi smiled frivolously, and his figure appeared behind the three soldiers like a ghost almost at the same time. He locked the opponent's fragile throat with one hand and knocked down the three soldiers easily as if he was killing a chicken.
The other priests also each had an opponent, and without even drawing their swords, in the blink of an eye, a group of murderous soldiers fell to the ground.
Only the black-armored officer was left. He rushed to the fire alone, and no one stopped him.
Just as he was about to strike with his sword, a sharp scimitar suddenly flew from the carriage and cut off his ankles in two.
The scimitar spun in the air and flew back, and was caught in the right hand of Lang Shiba, who had just "released" himself from the forest.
He picked up the wine gourd with his left hand and took a sip casually. Then he frowned and weighed the wine gourd again, feeling a little confused.
Ji Yue, who was squatting beside a tree stump and hugging her knees and curled up into a ball, silently grabbed and half of the black-armored officer's blood was drawn out from the broken ankle wound. She made it into a "blood ball" and threw it into the woods.
"what--"
At this time, the officer fell to the ground with a plop. He was too weak to hold the knife. He felt dizzy and looked up with fear in his eyes, looking at the nobleman who was still stirring the charcoal fire:
"You...you are...Zhao..."
Zhao Duan pulled out a branch, stuffed it into his mouth, and said:
"The rebels from Yunfu changed their clothes and thought they could deceive me. This is really disrespectful. Bring them to the forest and have a thorough trial. I am kindhearted and cannot bear to see them tortured."
Song Jinxi, who was skilled in assassination, torture and other strange methods, picked up the soldier with a smile and went into the woods.
It was not until this time that Mo Chou, who was sitting beside the fire, came to her senses. She cried out "Ah", stood up in shock, looked at the corpses on the ground, covered her mouth suddenly, and began to retch again.
Yuxiu maintained her cross-legged meditation posture and frowned:
"There is only a wrong name, not a wrong nickname. He is worthy of being called 'Zhao Yanwang' by the people of Beijing."
Zhao Duan smiled and said, "The priest can't bear it?"
Yuxiu stood up and turned to walk towards the carriage:
"The fighting between the two armies is in accordance with the will of heaven. What does this have to do with me?"
Zhao Duan laughed and said, "When the meal is ready, I'll have someone send it to the car."
Yuxiu said nothing, but just quickened her pace.
……
The battle came as suddenly as it ended quickly.
In the blink of an eye, there were more than twenty corpses in the forest. Tang Jinzhong searched the corpses and actually found the identity plates of the Yunfu rebels inside the clothes and armor of these people.
"Why are the rebels here? Is there something wrong with the city?"
Mo Chou dry-heaved several times, frowned, and looked at Zhao Duan.
Zhao Duan sat by the fire, holding an identity card between his fingers and looking at it, squinting his eyes and saying:
"If something really went wrong, there would be no need for these people to disguise themselves. It would be obvious at a glance that they were a small group of scouts who had infiltrated the imperial court's defenses. It is impossible to completely block such a long defense line, so it is not surprising that some of them were missed.
And the woman that this group of people are hunting down seems to be more important than we expected."
At this time, an attendant came over with the woman. Her wounds had been simply treated and she was fed healing pills. She had recovered some strength, but her hair was still disheveled.
When he was brought over staggeringly, his appearance was ordinary except for his high nose bridge. His face, which was smeared with seven or eight streaks of black ash, showed alertness and uncertainty.
"Tell me, who are you and why are these people chasing you?" Zhao Duan spoke softly, looking at the strange woman.
After the hat was shattered, the arrow left a red mark on the woman's scalp. There was still a trace of blood on her forehead. Her eyes, like those of a little leopard, were filled with an inexplicable brilliance. She looked at Zhao Duan anxiously and suddenly asked:
"Excuse me, is this Zhao Shaobao from the capital? Do you have a token to prove your identity?"
Tang Jinzhong, who was standing by, raised his eyebrows and suddenly put the long knife in his hand against the woman's neck:
"Answer whatever the adults ask."
Zhao Duan looked at her in surprise, then suddenly waved his hand and said with interest:
"You have courage, anyway, do you recognize this?"
He reached into his bosom and when he took out another token, there was one on his palm. It was the identity badge enshrined in the imperial city.
With a twist of his wrist, the token spun and drilled in front of the woman, embedding into the ground with a puff. The woman's eyes lit up, and she pulled out the token with her bloodstained hands, holding it horizontally, tilting it towards the sun, observing the angle of the token reflecting the light and the subtle texture, just like checking a counterfeit banknote.
"Confirmed! The imperial court's silver medal shadow guard 'White Falcon' greets His Excellency!"
The dirty woman showed surprise on her face, suddenly knelt on one knee, held the token high in both hands and handed it back.
This scene made everyone stunned. Zhao Duan said suspiciously:
"Shadow Guard White Falcon?"
"Yes." The woman codenamed White Falcon reached into her bosom and took out her own Shadow Guard Order with silver letters on a black background:
"Please check it, sir."
Tang Jinzhong who was standing by took it and passed the Qi into it. Dreamy star-like light spots appeared on the Shadow Guard Token. It flipped around and the words "White Falcon" appeared on the back of the token.
"It's true." Tang Jinzhong confirmed.
"Are you the imperial shadow guard? Why were you assassinated? Tell me quickly." Mo Chou lost her composure and asked while suppressing the urge to vomit.
Bai Falcon immediately replied:
"I was ordered to infiltrate the enemy's rear in the war zone to collect intelligence. Because my identity was exposed, I was chased. Fortunately, I was rescued by you, sir."
Mo Chou was suspicious and asked, "Why are you fleeing here? You shouldn't be fleeing to the city?"
Bai Falcon answered truthfully:
"There was a battle in the city today, so we dared not go there and had to go north. The Linfeng Shadow Guards knew a few days ago that you were leading your army south, so they fled north, hoping that the enemy scouts would be afraid to go too deep and retreat."
He answered questions fluently without any hesitation.
Zhao Duan suddenly asked, "You said there was a war in the capital?"
White Falcon nodded:
"Reporting to the Lord, today the rebel Su Dan sent troops to attack the city, but I learned from my espionage that the rebels sent a master to lead elite cavalry to take advantage of our army being pinned down in the city and break in with the intention of sabotaging it. Upon hearing this, I was extremely anxious and risked crossing the front line to return, which is why I was targeted."
What? There's a war going on ahead? Are the Yunfu rebels fighting Xue Shence?
At this moment, everyone present changed their expressions.
Zhao Duan's heart sank, and he asked:
"You said that some experts sneaked in to sabotage? What exactly happened? Who were they? Where did they go?"
The white falcon looked embarrassed:
"The enemy's movements are confidential, and I don't know much... I only know that there are several light cavalry and a master cultivator in charge."
Zhao Duan suddenly threw the map on the ground and the branch in his hand to her:
"Mark out the route of the cavalry you know and saw. Don't tell me that you know nothing about it, or you will be hunted down and killed by these people at the cost of your life."
Feeling the cold gaze of "King Zhao", Bai Falcon shuddered suddenly. He had no thought of resisting, so he gritted his teeth, picked up the gray-black branch at the end, and drew a few lines on the map.
Zhao Duan nodded in satisfaction, looked at her with a slightly warm gaze, and personally stood up to help her up:
"Thank you for your hard work. Since she is injured, come, take her to my carriage to rest. I have better medicine in my carriage."
Bai Falcon was filled with gratitude and said:
"Sir, the battle situation is urgent. I don't care about my reputation. I don't know where the reinforcements are. The best plan now is to go to the city as soon as possible to repel the powerful enemy."
Are you teaching me how to do things? Zhao Duan said solemnly:
"This governor will seriously consider it. Go ahead."
After saying this, he cast a look at Tang Jinzhong, who understood what he meant and personally took the silver medal shadow guard named Bai Falcon to the back.
"The military situation is urgent. There is no time to eat. We should set off immediately." Mochou urged anxiously.
Zhao Duan didn't move his butt: "Where are you going?"
Mo Chou looked at him strangely:
"Of course we're going to the capital city! This shadow guard is right. Only if we get there as soon as possible can we turn the tide of the battle."
"Wait a moment." Zhao Duan said, turning his head to look towards the woods where screams were coming from.
After a while, Song Jinxi returned carrying the bloody black-armored officer and said with a smile:
"My Lord, this man has told me everything he knows."
After listening to the officer's information, Zhao Duan found it was highly consistent with what Bai Shun said.
At this time, Tang Jinzhong also came back and nodded at him, indicating that he had verified Bai Falcon's identity with the secret code.
Zhao Duan nodded.
"Shi Meng, Yuan Feng and the others should indeed lead the main force of the Beijing Camp to the capital. Jinxi, you ride to the rear camp and tell them the intelligence we have learned. Ask them to work harder and march quickly. Also, transfer the light cavalry battalion of the Shenji Camp over here. I need them."
Song Jinxi responded, jumped on his horse, whipped the horse and galloped away.
Mo Chou was stunned: "What do you want light cavalry for?"
Zhao Duan picked up the branch and stared at the dirty map on the ground:
"Of course they are going to kill people. Didn't you hear me? The real purpose of the enemy attacking the city is probably to cover up the cavalry to come in and cause damage. How can we just leave it alone?"
Mochou retorted: "But we don't know where these people went?"
Zhao Duan didn't even raise his head, staring at the black and gray arrows on the map, his eyes as deep as a pool of water.
In his eyes, all the important locations and coordinates in the entire Taicang City emerged in his mind one after another, and the directions of the enemy attacks marked by the white falcon became clearer and longer in his mind.
Those scattered, confusing arrows seemed to stretch, turn, and finally converge along the numerous roads on the map.
He whispered softly:
"I don't know how to march and fight, but I understand that on the battlefield, in this small space, it is just a game of chess that follows basic rules. I think I know a lot about chess. If I can deduce the moves of chess, then I should be able to deduce the moves of marching as well.
Oh, thanks to this being Taicang Prefecture, when I came here to investigate a case last year, in order to search for the suspect, I got to know this area thoroughly during those few days at the post house, and even walked the paths of all sizes in the city and the countryside with my own feet...
There aren't many places in Taicang that are worth Su Dan's efforts to set up a false formation for a surprise attack.
When the cavalry traveled, they could not cross the mountains, and the roads they could take were fixed;
The reinforcements will arrive soon. With the intelligence capabilities of Prince Mu's Palace, they will definitely know about it, so time is also limited... Once these many rules are sorted out one by one, the purpose of the other party's surprise attack will be revealed. "
As he uttered the last sentence, the branch in his hand suddenly pointed to a certain location on the map. Zhao Duan looked disappointed and laughed at himself:
"What do you mean by coincidence? My coming here is simply destiny."
Mo Chou stared blankly, and the location circled on the map was -
Taicang Silver Mine!
Zhao Duan stood up and said loudly:
"Put out the fire and move camp. Abandon the carriages and baggage. Everyone, get on your horses. Wait for the light cavalry to arrive and follow me to fight the enemy!"
The worshippers were shocked, their eyes lit up, and they all said yes.
They were all frustrated because there was no fighting along the way.
Zhao Duan turned his head and glanced at Mo Chou, then he seemed to remember something and added:
"Leave two people behind to protect Mo Zhaorong and the priests of the Tianshi Mansion, as well as the injured shadow guards, and reunite with the main force."
Mo Chou opened her mouth, wanting to say that she could do it, but suddenly Zhao Duan's voice came to her ears:
"You stay here and keep an eye on the white falcon. The priests have more force than brains, and I don't trust them keeping an eye on me."
He used the "sound transmission into secret" method that a warrior can master after reaching the worldly realm.
Mo Chou was startled, and subconsciously wanted to look at the shadow guard named Bai Falcon, but she held back, her eyes widened, as if to say: Do you think there is something wrong with her?
Zhao Duan smiled, his eyes slightly cold:
"Not sure, just suspicious. It's always better to be cautious."
There is indeed a person named "White Falcon" in the list of shadow guards, and his appearance, age, and position do match the information in Beijing.
But Zhao Duan could not forget the agility and calmness this man showed when facing the arrow shot by Zhao Duan when he appeared.
That is not a quality that an ordinary "Silver Medal Shadow Guard" can possess.
"Do you really think my archery skills are that outrageous? Learn from me. The intrigues and deceptions on the battlefield are no less than those in the imperial court."
Zhao Duan jumped on his horse and whipped it to rush towards the Taicang Silver Mine.
Behind him, a group of attendants followed like shadows - in the second carriage, a graceful figure also floated out and followed.
Mo Chou stared blankly at the man's back as he killed the enemy, and was briefly distracted for a moment.
……
Inside the carriage, Nie Yurong, with a high nose bridge and seven or eight streaks of black ash on her face, lifted the curtain with her hand and looked at the departing target with an unhappy expression and cold eyes.
At this moment, she had changed her appearance and transformed herself into the appearance of "White Falcon". Combined with the special secret method and the information read from White Falcon's soul, she perfectly stole the identity of the shadow guard.
——The shadow guard that Xiu Yi directly targeted for capture a few days ago was the Silver Medal White Falcon.
"Miss, may I ask where Lord Zhao has gone? Has he joined up with the main force?"
Nie Yurong pretended to be weak and worried and walked down from the carriage with difficulty.
His eyes swept over the two remaining priests in the camp.
Passing by the second carriage, a faint voice was heard.
The scene is fixed on Mochou, who is dressed in a neutral style.
Mo Chou glanced at her as usual, and suddenly smiled:
"You don't recognize me?"
Nie Yurong looked bewildered: "Excuse me, young lady, who are you..."
The local silver medal shadow guards were not qualified to meet Mo Zhaorong.
Mo Chou smiled, without explaining, and said calmly:
"It's cold outside. You're injured. Don't move around."
far away.
Zhao Duan was on his horse, and he looked at Yuxiu who was also riding a horse beside him with a strange look in his eyes: "Why are you following me, Priest?"
Yuxiu looked indifferent: "The governor doesn't want me to follow you?"
Zhao Duan laughed loudly, full of heroic spirit: "I couldn't ask for more. I will take the Taoist priest to kill someone today."
(End of this chapter)